


a place in the sun for you and me

by thelittlenyx (Nyx_Aki)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, I AM SORRY, Makkachin has to take care of a new puppy, Makkachin passes on at the end (but you still see him!), Petfic, new family member
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 18:22:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12326382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyx_Aki/pseuds/thelittlenyx
Summary: The door swings open, and Makkachin surges upwards, tail flying and tongue sailing as he releases his pent-up excitement in a swift rush of joy aimed towards his humans, whose arms are outstretched to ensconce him in a hug as comforting as the taste of good food.But this time, only Victor spreads his arms.Yuuri does not.Looking up at his master from his comfortable position in Victor’s snug embrace, Makkachin sees why.He’s cradling another dog in his arms.(When a new addition to the family shows up one day, Makkachin takes her under his care and teaches her what it means to be a good dog.)





	a place in the sun for you and me

The humans have a saying: _home is where the heart is._ For Makkachin, his heart is where his two fathers, Victor and Yuuri, are; wherever they go, across the streets or the seas, he always trots behind or leaps ahead, around their footsteps in the sun or at their side in his dreams.

For Makkachin, home is where his family is, and his family are his two dads, his brightly radiant Victor and his quiet mellow Yuuri.

_The summer sun and the winter morning._

 But the sun shines in more ways than one.

 

☀☀☀☀

 

“We’re back! Where’s my Makkachin?”

Jolted from his slumber, Makkachin leaps to his furry (and only slightly clumsy) paws. He can hear his Viktor’s voice as vibrant as the birds in spring, and with it the infectious energy of the season. Makkachin feels this same vigor course through him as he bounces at the door, waiting to hurl himself with loving abandon at his two humans, who’ve been gone _forever and ever_ -

He can smell them at the door, the warm scents of his humans mingled with the crisp air of the Outdoors and…

 ...something else?

The door swings open, and Makkachin surges upwards, tail flying and tongue sailing as he releases his pent-up excitement in a swift rush of joy aimed towards his humans, whose arms are outstretched to ensconce him in a hug as comforting as the taste of good food.

But this time, only Victor spreads his arms.

 Yuuri does not.

Looking up at his master from his comfortable position in Victor’s snug embrace, Makkachin sees why.

He’s cradling another dog in his arms.

A soft, small, brown creature, with fur as curly as his but a shade more hazel. She trembles slightly, curled up in Yuuri’s grasp, and he scrambles up to sniff in curiosity, she recoils ever so slightly, her dark eyes wide and nervous.

 _Hello,_ he greets.

Yuuri kneels down in front of him, and the puppy in his arms squirms. “Hush,” he tells her, but she is not as good as obeying orders as Makkachin is- she whimpers slightly and paws at Yuuri’s front.

“Makkachin,” he says gently. “This is Sasha. She’s the new puppy. Treat her well, alright? She’s a little on the nervous side.”

Yuuri sets her down in front of Makkachin- _she’s so small, was he ever that size?-_ and he bends his face down until his nose nearly touches hers. He sniffs her thoroughly, inhaling her soft scent carrying faint traces of rain, other dogs and strange food. The little one- Sasha- cautiously does the same, leaning forwards until her button nose feathers across his bigger one.

  _It’s nice to meet you._

Above him, he hears Victor chuckle. “Makkachin’s got the gentlest doggy soul I’ve ever seen. Sasha’s in good hands- or is it paws?”

 “I hope so,” Yuuri replies quietly. “I couldn’t leave her in the pound, not after I’ve seen her.”

 “She’s with us now,” Victor says. “She’ll be safe.”

  _I don’t know where you’re from,_ Makkachin tells Sasha, now nestled between his paws. _But you’ll be safe with us._

 

☀☀☀☀

 

In the days that follow, Makkachin learns more about the new member of his family.

For one, Sasha absolutely hates being left alone.

Whenever the humans show signs of leaving, she whines, and then yips up a storm, howling and crying as though she had just witnessed the darkening of the sun. She doesn’t stop long after Victor and Yuuri have given their goodbye cuddles and consoling kisses and shut the door behind them, keening well into the rest of the day where she paces at the door.

 Makkachin does not know where Sasha gets that unlimited energy from, but he knows it’s going to land them in hot water if she doesn’t stop.

 He tries various ways of comforting her: licking at her ear, dropping his favorite ball beside her, and lying beside her in an effort to keep her company and probably distract her from their humans’ absence.

 None of them work.

 Finally, he whines. _Why do you cry, little one?_

 Sasha whimpers. _I don’t want to be alone again._

 Makkachin tilts his head in confusion. _You’re not alone. I’m right here. And Victor and Yuuri will be back soon, you’ll see._  

 Sasha sniffles. _That’s what_ they _said._

 Makkachin stares at her, who is now gazing dejectedly out of the crack under the door. _Who’s “they”?_

  _The humans who put me there. In that place with many dogs. “Stay.” they said. “We’ll come back.” But I waited and waited, and they never did. The other dogs there…_

 Sadness is pouring out of her, as palpable as chill from the frozen pavement in winter. Makkachin nuzzles gently at her face, hoping to bring her out from the dark place in her mind. He remembers the scent of other dogs on her the first time they met. _There are other dogs?_

  _There are other dogs there who’ve seen many winters in that place. They’re all waiting for their owners to come back, too._

 A fresh whimper sneaks its way out of her throat, and Makkachin feels the sound resonate deep inside him.

  _Viktor and Yuuri will come back. They always do._

 Sasha looks at him, and he senses her skepticism. Makkachin’s tail wags intensify, and he huffs. _Did I tell you once that Victor brought me across the sea to meet Yuuri? And when I was sick, he came back to me across the seas too, to stay by my side._

 Sasha’s ears perk up a degree. _What is a “sea”?_

 Makkachin thinks for a moment. _It’s a...it’s where the sun goes to sleep after it shines. It a huge, huge, place, farther than the houses across the streets, and it’s like a lake with no end. When we go across the sea, we go far away from our houses, and it’s impossible to go home on paw._

  _It’s like forever._

 Sasha’s implacable misery has abated slightly. _Our humans crossed that to come back to you?_

  _More than once._

 Watching her, Makkachin senses the remains of her sadness evaporate like snow under the sun. He noses at her curly pelt soothingly.

  _And when they’re not here, I am._

 Sasha makes no reply to that, but her whimpers subside, and she forms no protest when Makkachin curls his large warm body around her as they wait together for their humans to come back home.

She stops crying after that.

 

☀☀☀☀

 

As the sun rises and sets several times, Sasha acclimates herself to their household, slowly but surely, like a tender shoot unfurling its leaves towards the rays of the sun. Makkachin acts as her patient guide and teacher, showing her the ropes and averting her from mischief should any chances arise.

 For example, he has to remind her repeatedly that the humans’ strange pelts should not be chewed on.

  _But they look so_ fun _to roll about in,_ Sasha whines. _Especially the ones that they keep in a basket in the small room with the strange machine that shakes and trembles._

  _If you make a mess out of them,_ Makkachin says patiently for the umpteenth time, _they’ll be upset. And we won’t get treats._

 That seems to convince Sasha, but Makkachin decides to keep a close eye on her just in case.

 Despite the constant admonishing and occasional scolding, the little family of two humans and two dogs become ever closer together, a weaving that cannot be undone. And every day, Sasha becomes a part of what Makkachin calls home.

 

☀☀☀☀

 

One afternoon, when Makkachin is basking lazily in the weak sunlight and Sasha is attempting to disembowel a toy, the door opens and shuts, and Yuuri enters the house.

 Makkachin notices at once that Victor is not with him.

Sasha looks up from the Kong toy she was trying to disassemble. _He’s early,_ she observes, and prances forward to greet him, Makkachin at her heels.

 Yuuri sets his bags down. “Hey, you two,” he greets quietly. He opens his arms, and Sasha bounces into them, a happy ball of licks and paws. Makkachin nuzzles at the human’s face, and immediately senses the emotions swirling from him, a nimbus of darkness.

 He licks Yuuri’s cheek and whines softly.

 “I’m fine.” Yuuri whispers. “I’m fine.”

 But his voice cracks, and he curls in on himself, grasping Sasha in his arms, as the first of a storm of sobs begin to shake his body.

 Alarmed, Sasha whines, clasped tightly in the human’s arms. _What’s he doing? What’s happening?_

 Makkachin drapes his head on his human’s shoulders, where it smells faintly of ice, autumn air, and Victor. _He is sad._

 Makkachin knows this unhappiness, this silent starless night that their humans sometimes face. Like the subtlety in scents, there are different kinds of sadness- the quiet empty melancholy of Victor before he met Yuuri, the deep aching sorrow of missing someone, the heart-quaking anguish that Victor was suffused with when he thought Makkachin was going to die.

 What Yuuri feels now is a quiet heavy despondency that surrounds him like the walls of a cage.

 Sasha whimpers again, turning to try and lick at her master’s face, which is wet with tears. _His eyes are wet._

  _It’s what humans do when they’re upset,_ Makkachin replies. As Sasha tries to wriggle free from Yuuri’s arms, Makkachin says, _Don’t._

  _It’s time I taught you something new._

 And Sasha listens.

 Some time later, the door opens and closes again, and Victor bursts in. Makkachin moves to greet him, Sasha by his side, and then takes the lead to the bedroom.

 When Victor sees Yuuri, sitting on the side of the bed, he moves towards him at once, and Yuuri looks up as he sits quietly beside him. His eyes are now dry.

 “I’m sorry.” Victor begins haltingly. “I didn’t mean... to hurt you earlier…”

 As the humans begin to talk, Makkachin and Sasha silently leave to give them space.

  _Good job earlier._ Makkachin nudges at her side.

  _Thanks._ Sasha casts a worried glance back in the direction of the room. _I didn’t know...humans could be sad like that._

 Makkachin snuffles. _Humans are very complicated creatures. They have bigger problems than we do, and that makes them sad sometimes._

 Sasha mulls this over. _I’m happy I’m a dog._

 Makkachin wuffles in agreement. _Our responsibility as dogs is to make our masters’ tears go away, whenever we can._

  _Just like I taught you earlier._

 Sasha looks back at him, her eyes shining. _I’ll do that as best as I can._

 Dogs cannot smile, but Makkachin looks at her and he feels the warmth of the summer sun pouring forth in his heart, and if he could smile, he certainly would.

 If he knew the name of that emotion, he would have called it _pride._

  _I know you will._

 

☀☀☀☀

 

The seasons come and go, and Sasha grows into a fine poodle, a perfect mix of playfulness and dignity. Makkachin watches her with pride, the flighty young pup that he helped nurture into adulthood.

Things, by nature, do not multiply when they are shared. If you have two treats and you share it with a friend, you get one treat. A patch of sun does not grow when two occupy it.

 It’s different with love.

 With love, the more you give, the more you have to give.

 It’s something you can’t contain, for it bursts out of you like the sun shining out of the clouds- and the more you’ve given, the more you’ve got.

Makkachin, watching Sasha romp with Victor and Yuuri in the park with a ball under the wash of Russian sunshine, is glad that he had never restricted his heart once.

  _You’ve raised her well._

  _I hope I have._

 Makkachin turns his eyes away to look at the poodle beside him, also watching the three figures play together in the park.

  _Of course, the grief on your leaving was harder on them,_ Vicchan says. _But with Sasha by their side, their pain was easier to bear._

 Makkachin sighs. _It’s the one regret I have- that with my passing I have hurt them._

 Vicchan snuffles. _You didn’t hurt them; your passing did. But it’s inevitable, and so is the pain that follows._

 He turns and gazes at Yuuri. _I’m glad you were there for my Yuuri when he needed comfort. For that, I thank you._

 Makkachin nudges him gently. _He is my master as much as yours. And even then, you’ve left a piece of yourself in his heart that I can never replace- um, not that I’ve tried._

 Vicchan snorts, then looks up at the sunlight dancing across the clouds. _Love is not easy to forget. It’s best not to forget it- but to be happy it came into our lives and left._

 The sound of lively laughter and barking turns both their heads round. Sasha had jumped onto Yuuri in a bid for the ball clamped in his hand, and Victor was laughing as he joined them both in the wrestling among the grass and the sun.

Vicchan stands up and shakes his coat. _It looks like our job is done._

_So it is._

 Makkachin spares one more glance at his family, luminous as the morning. _I’ll visit soon._

 He leaps to his paws, and together, he and Vicchan run, dash away across the fields and the streets and into sunlight.  

**Author's Note:**

> It's been the YOI Anniversary, and while I may have been late, I just thought I might post this to commemorate the anime that helped to change me.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Y'all are amazing. <3
> 
> I can be found here: http://little-lapis-lazuline.tumblr.com/


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